I recently sat down with Jonas Santana from Blackbird Cigars to discuss the Meadowlark, released at the PCA show this year. Let's find out what makes this limited-edition run so special.

[Tyler Caldwell]: The Meadowlark Toro is a short run, or a limited-edition run. It's a 6" x 52 vitola.

[Jonas Santana]: Yeah, limited runs are a way for us to have fun and to build anticipation. If you enjoy Blackbird's core line, you can get excited for more limited runs.

Brazilian Arapiraca Wrapper

Meadowlark is the first time we made a release with Arapiraca wrapper from Brazil. If I'm not wrong, back in the old days, they used to sort the Arapiraca to get the darkest leaves, and it used to be more famous than Mexican wrapper. The problem was that when they would get a bail of tobacco from Arapiraca, there would be different coloring. If they put everything in the box, the consumers would recognize a quality-control problem, even though it's not.

The flavors of the Arapiraca wrapper are just amazing. When we blend with an Arapiraca wrapper, we never focus on how powerful the strength will be. We prefer a mellow cigar, no more than medium plus. We don't battle against the gentle flavors of the Arapiraca. When you smoke the cigar, I believe you'll get a clean aftertaste.

[TC]: I agree. It's not as strong as the Crow but I would definitely give it a solid level of nicotine strength. To me, where it really shines is in the body. There's a lot of rich texture to the smoke, and the flavor also enhances that body for me. I'm getting chocolate and espresso. There's a minerally, sweet mixture to go with it as well.

[JS]: When I smoke it, I like to drink liquor with it. You can drink wine or whiskey and it will taste tremendously great, but deliver different experiences with the stimulation of the palate.

Not every retailer was able to showcase this product in the humidor, but you were one of them and I'm proud of that.

[TC]: Thank you.

[JS]: Our partnership is something that is not only business; it's also a friendship, like family. The journey is way better that way.

[TC]: Absolutely.

Undisclosed Binder and Filler Leaf

We discussed what the wrapper is. Any details about the binder and filler?

[JS]: That's gonna be an issue. I prefer that the people guess, though I can tell you that they are all from the Dominican Republic.

I think it's fantastic to talk about the blending, but also there's some people that had bad experiences with other cigars. Let's just say, for example, that they had a bad experience with a cigar that had a Sumatran wrapper. If you tell them the cigar has a Sumatran wrapper, they will be like, I don't want it because I don't like Sumatran leaf. But it's not about that. I always tell people, when you have a Toro cigar, for example, the flavors come from the filler, and then the finish comes from the wrapper. The only leaf that touches your lips is the wrapper, so your brain is telling you that the most flavor must come from the wrapper.

[TC]: That's an interesting point.

[JS]: And that's wrong to assume, most of the time. When that happens, you have a very budget-friendly cigar. In this case, it's different. You have everything playing a role, everything is in harmony, and so it all provides a little stimulation.

[TC]: Absolutely. That is an interesting fact that I normally don't think about, so I'm really glad that you said that.

Meadowlark Inspiration

[TC]: I'm also interested in knowing about the Meadowlark. What is that in relation to the bird family?

[JS]: Many times I like to play with state birds. Meadowlark is the state bird of six states: Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. In that way, people can relate to the company. I can see that in this market, people smoke your cigars because they like you, and if the cigar is great, they'll keep buying it. For example, my purple box appeals to people that follow the Baltimore Ravens team in the NFL. Cigars are a tool for bringing people together. That's the beautiful thing about this industry.

[TC]: Absolutely. This is Blackbird Meadowlark, and it does say short run on the box, which means it's a limited edition. So, if you find it, you might want to get it because there's no guarantee you're gonna find it again.

[JS]: We only did 500 boxes total this year, so definitely get it while you can.